ImageboxPittsburgh MercyLeft ArrowRight ArrowArrow RightCloseContactContactMenuPhone IconSearchFacebookGoogle +InstagramLinkedInPinterestTwitterYouTube
Skip to Main Content
close
Language:
Font Size:
- + Reset
Menu Contact
Close
  • Our Services
    • Behavioral Health
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Behavioral Health
      • Services for Adults
      • Services for Children & Adolescents
      • Mental Health Rehabilitation & Recovery Services
      • Mental Health Residential Services
    • Addiction Services
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Addiction Services
      • Services for Adults
      • Services for Children & Adolescents
    • Intellectual Disabilities
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Intellectual Disabilities Services
      • Day Support & Community Participation Services
      • Residential Services for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
      • Unlicensed Home & Community Services
      • Employment Services
      • Contact
    • Physical Health
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center
      • Our Services
      • Location & Hours
      • Getting Here
      • Insurances
      • Your Care Team
      • Pharmacy Services
    • Intervention Services
    • Homeless Services
      • Second Avenue Commons
      • About Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net
      • Street Outreach
      • Housing & Care Management
      • Physical Health
      • Project HELP
      • Student Placement Opportunities & Street Medicine Fellowship
      • Awards & Accolades
      • How You Can Help
      • Bethlehem Haven
    • Veterans Services
    • Faith Communities
      • About the Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program
      • About Faith Community Nursing & Health Ministry
      • Education for Faith Communities
      • Resources for Faith Communities
  • Your Care
  • Engage
  • Give
  • Our Organization
    • Home
    • About
    • Careers
      • Administration
      • Behavioral Health Services
      • Medical
      • Nursing
      • Professional & Management
    • Training
    • Events
    • News
      • Stories Of Hope
    • Contact Us
Close
  • Need Help? Call us.
  • Send us a Message

Pittsburgh Mercy
1200 Reedsdale Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233-2109 USA

Call 1-877-637-2924

Email info@pittsburghmercy.org

Pittsburgh Mercy

Need Help? Call us.

1-877-637-2924

Send us a Message

  • Home
  • About
  • Careers
    • Administration
    • Behavioral Health Services
    • Medical
    • Nursing
    • Professional & Management
  • Training
  • Events
  • News
    • Stories Of Hope
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Your Care
  • Engage
  • Give
  • Behavioral Health
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Behavioral Health
    • Services for Adults
    • Services for Children & Adolescents
    • Mental Health Rehabilitation & Recovery Services
    • Mental Health Residential Services
  • Addiction Services
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Addiction Services
    • Services for Adults
    • Services for Children & Adolescents
  • Intellectual Disabilities
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Intellectual Disabilities Services
    • Day Support & Community Participation Services
    • Residential Services for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
    • Unlicensed Home & Community Services
    • Employment Services
    • Contact
  • Physical Health
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center
    • Our Services
    • Location & Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Insurances
    • Your Care Team
    • Pharmacy Services
  • Intervention Services
  • Homeless Services
    • Second Avenue Commons
    • About Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net
    • Street Outreach
    • Housing & Care Management
    • Physical Health
    • Project HELP
    • Student Placement Opportunities & Street Medicine Fellowship
    • Awards & Accolades
    • How You Can Help
    • Bethlehem Haven
  • Veterans Services
  • Faith Communities
    • About the Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program
    • About Faith Community Nursing & Health Ministry
    • Education for Faith Communities
    • Resources for Faith Communities
Stories Of Hope

Midwife Center volunteers take vaccines to the homebound

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Linda Ross

By Zandy Dudiak, Communications coordinator

 As COVID-19 vaccines became more readily available to the general public, there was one group left behind—those persons who are homebound because of age, disabilities, or illness.

Early this year, Pittsburgh Mercy provided vaccines to 28 nurses and midwives from The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health. In return, the Midwife Center colleagues have volunteered at Pittsburgh Mercy’s vaccination clinics.

That partnership gave birth to an opportunity to provide vaccines to the vulnerable homebound population.

Woman in mask with medical supplies
Ann McCarthy, the Midwife Center’s clinical director

“From the beginning, we were trying to get people homebound vaccines,” says Ann McCarthy, the Midwife Center’s clinical director. “We just wanted to be part of the pandemic effort. We are very mission oriented. I can’t imagine a more vulnerable population than homebound folks.”

Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated, a group formed for people to help each other to find information on where to get a COVID-19 vaccine, provided a third link for the infrastructure of the homebound vaccination project. With Pittsburgh Mercy providing the vaccine and Getting Pittsburgh Vaccinated scheduling the appointments, the Midwife Center colleagues hit the road to vaccinate those unable to get out.

“Many of them have been trying for so long,” Ann says. “We are really grateful to Pittsburgh Mercy and all the volunteers.”

Two women with medical supplies in trunk of car
Megan Boyle and Samantha Pavlik

As of June 8, the Midwife Center colleagues had administered more than 100 vaccinations to 83 homebound individuals throughout Allegheny County, including 51 second doses of Moderna. For 13 individuals, the vaccinators used the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine which, unlike Moderna, requires only one shot.

Almost always, the visit is coordinated with a family member or a paid caretaker, Ann says.

One woman in her 90s called 211 and the representative directed her to call Pittsburgh Mercy to schedule a homebound appointment. A woman with multi-organ cancer, who is on hospice care, received a home vaccine because “her family really didn’t want her to die of COVID,” Ann says.

Another woman called to get a vaccine for her mother and, although she had power of attorney, her siblings would not allow their mother to receive the vaccine. All needed to consent, so the mother did not receive the vaccine.

Since the vaccines have become widely available and cases are dropping county-wide, requests are dwindling, Ann says.

“I just can’t say enough about Pittsburgh Mercy,” she adds. “They really live through their mission of taking care of the most vulnerable.”

Pittsburgh Mercy contact tracer Lewis Thompson, Susan Papalardo, Tanya Walters, and Melissa DeiCas.
Tagged in:
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 vaccinations
  • homebound vaccinations
  • Midwife Center
  • Pittsburgh Mercy
  • The Midwife Center for Birth & Women's Health
Share on:
  • In the News
  • News Releases
  • Social Media
  • Media Relations
  • Stories Of Hope
  • Annual Report
  • Credits

Categories

  • Art In Therapy
  • Employment
  • Family
  • Gratitude
  • Health & Well-Being
  • History
  • Independence
  • Lifesharing
  • Mindfulness
  • Mission
  • Recovery
  • Street Outreach
  • Therapeutic Gardening
  • Uncategorized
  • Veterans Services

Archives

Back to Top
Pittsburgh Mercy

A member of Trinity Health, serving
in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy

A Member of Trinity Health

Pittsburgh Mercy
1200 Reedsdale Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233-2109
USA

Call 1-877-637-2924

Email info@pittsburghmercy.org

Contact Us Feedback

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination & Accessibility Requirements
  • Notice of Privacy Practices
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • http://CARF%20Accredited

© 2023 Pittsburgh Mercy

Website by Imagebox